By Hudson Stanley*

KOLKATA, India–As the plane landed and the warm, Indian humidity hit my face, I was reminded of my purpose: keeping in touch with God’s will for me during this trip and my life in general.

Heading into the trip, I expected great things from God for those we went to minister to, but I never imagined that God would do so much in my life.

Our team consisted of amazing people who were on fire for the Lord! We did some very memorable things in places that I will never forget. India was truly incredible.

On the northbound overnight train we took from Kolkata and five-hour jeep ride up the mountain to the village God constantly reminded me of the sheer beauty of His creation.

To reach the village of Pakong, we hiked down the mountain in the cold pouring rain and as we did, God was really preparing me for the things I would encounter and do for the remainder of the trip. This trip wasn’t about me or even us as a team. This trip had a purpose of service to the families where we stayed as well as the many children we would encounter.

The mountains were breathtaking and the people were truly remarkable! The diversity of this culture was like nothing I have ever experienced. The village was dirty and it smelled, yet the people were still well dressed and kind and the food was spectacular.

Walking around the village, seeing the prayer flags, I became keenly aware of the overwhelming spiritual darkness of the area. I was there to share God’s hope and love to the hopeless.

Even though we didn’t have the luxuries of our everyday lives, there was assurance that the things we did could make a difference and have a greater impact on the people in the village.

The first night, as some of us sat around the table with a man named Top Den, I immediately noticed the hospitality they showed us. It was obvious that he and his family gave us the best they had to offer. This forced me to look at myself and truly examine how I, as a believer, am treating acquaintances and friends who visit in my home. Am I consistently sharing my greatest possession, Jesus, with those I meet?

Even after the first night on the ground God had already begun to work in my life.

The following day we hiked about 15 minutes to a school to begin teaching. The smile on the kids’ faces was one of my favorite parts of the trip! It was obvious that the children were having an awesome time through the singing, playing, smiling and laughing.

After story time, I was astonished that the kids could tell me the story we had just told word for word, even though they had never heard it before. It made my day when a little girl came up to me and told me that it was the bleeding woman’s faith in Jesus that healed her of her suffering.

During an afternoon Bible study, we talked about pride and fear and how it interferes with our relationship with the Father because it causes us to edge God out. If we were prideful in our lesson plans or fearful that God wouldn’t provide for our needs we weren’t fully relying on God for taking care of us on the trip.

As we woke up the next morning, the beauty of God’s creation surrounded us. We spent this day with kids from all around the area. The time we spent singing was so much fun and it was great to be able to act out the song motions like a “crazy man.” because we are truly excited that the Creator of the universe loves each of us individually and knows us each by name.

Just thinking about that time makes me smile even today! That day specifically, God taught me about the importance of being flexible.

Even if you thought you had the VBS lessons all figured out you never knew what was next or who would teach the story, lead the song or who would be listening.

It was a time of true surrender to God’s plan. God’s plan and God’s timing is so much more than our ideas and plans could ever be. It was great to be able to relax and hang out with the kids, not worrying about what was next because we went there not to have the best lesson plan but to have an impact on kids’ lives.

Often we as teens think of ministry and sharing our faith as something that adults do, and not very often do we think of it as an opportunity for God to work through us as young people.

I would personally challenge you to get involved with your community and pray about going on mission trips. If you explore ways to get plugged in, God will use you in ways you would have never thought possible to touch people’s lives. In turn, He also will not leave you unchanged.

There are more opportunities than ever for our generation to rise up and do some amazing things for Christ in this extremely dark world that we live in.

I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me and what opportunities will arise in the future. So as William Carey, a great missionary to Kolkata once said, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

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*Name changed. Hudson Stanley is an MK from East Asia